Broken Arrows
by hml1999
Summary: Faith Dixon's life is going to be changed when her home is attacked and her mother, Beth, is kidnapped. What happens when Faith meets a redneck with a crossbow who resembles her missing father? Follow them as they travel in search of her mother and secrets will be revealed. AU Eventually Bethyl. I do not own The Walking Dead and sorry the summary isn't good. Enjoy!
1. I Will Find You

"_Are we close?"_

"_Almost done."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_Look at the signs, Faith. They're there. Trust me." Beth reassures the girl. The twelve year old looks behind her and sees her mother standing behind her. Beth gives a soft smile and then nods her head to the direction in front of her daughter. "Remember, hold your breath and keep your eyes open." Beth whispers._

_Faith's arrow was pulled all the way back and her breathing was slow. Beth saw that concentration, she knew it well. The sounds of a walker rang in her ears. She knew the sound well, she knew it _very _well. _

_The walker came into view and started to stumble towards the two girls. Faith stared into the walker's dead eyes, and watched as it stumbled closer. "Faith . . ." Beth's voice said behind her, a warning in her tone. The walker stumbles closer and snaps its jaws at them. "Faith, Faith," Beth's voice comes out more panicked and more nervous. The walker is only a few feet and Faith remains frozen to the Georgia dirt. A gunshot rang out through the woods and the walker falls just a foot away from Faith. _

_Faith lowers her weapon and slowly turns to see her mother dropping her arm; a pistol in her hand. Faith hesitates to speak, but her mother beats her to it._

"_Faith," Her voice is serious. "You cannot hesitate. Every shot and every strike is worth something."_

_Faith gulps slowly. "I'm sorry, Momma."_

_Beth frowns, seeing her daughter upset. "Faith, it's not your fault." She wraps her arms around her daughter protectively. "I just can't stand to lose you. That's why we come out here. To show you how to survive." She places a soft kiss to Faith's brown hair. "Now,let's go see Aunt Maggie."_

_Beth stops in her tracks when she doesn't hear Faith follow her. She slowly turns and Faith is staring at her. "Are you okay?"_

_Faith shifts on her feet. "Gotta be." Faith slowly walks with her mother back to their home._

**Eight Years Later . . .**

The Georgia heat was showing no mercy as I walk through the woods. My arrows hung on my back loosely and my bow felt light in my hands. My teal eyes scan the wood grounds for any tracks or something worth giving me a good lead on a trail. I crouch down onto the dirt and groan.

"Shit." I curse under my breath. Nothing. I slowly rise and look around some more, sweat dripping down my face. "Son of a bitch, it's hot." I swipe my brow with the back of my wrist and glance down at my watch. It was almost five, and the sun would be going down soon. I start to head back and pretty soon, the gates of the Alexandria Safe Zone came into my view.

Some of the people on guard duty saw me and slowly opened the metal doors. I walk into the familiar town and hear children's laughter. There were buildings and shops that lined the streets, and I made my way to my home.

"Mom?" I call out into the mute house. "I'm back!" I hear moving around in the kitchen and I walk to see my mother reaching for the top cabinet over the stove. "Mom?" I apparently catch her off guard because she jumps and nearly falls to the ground.

"Faith Annette Dixon, you know not to sneak up on me like that." She laughs.

"Sorry, Mom." I apologize. "Are you making dinner?" My eyes avert to the pot of water on the stove, almost boiling.

"Yes. Your favorite." She smiles.

I nod and quickly head upstairs and rest on my bed.

My mother and I had been in the Alexandria Safe Zone ever since I was born. We lived here with my mother's family before we lived here in the zone. Uncle Rick really took on the role of my father figure since my father got seperated from our group due to a walker herd. He had married my Aunt Michonne and they have two children, Carl and Judith. Judith and I were the best of friends, but lately we've been drifting apart.

Although my mother always taught me how to hunt and track, she never let me stray far from the zone. I was good at hunting too. I felt safe when hunting and I liked the open woods. My mother would kill me if she heard how I talked most of the time too.

"Faith, dinner." Mom called. I force my aching body to get up and move downstairs. When I turn into the kitchen, I see Aunt Maggie, Uncle Glenn, and my best friend Jared. "We're having guests." I nod and take a seat.

"So," Maggie looks to my mother. "Big day in a few weeks."

Mom smiles and takes a seat next to Maggie as Jared takes a seat next to me. "You bet." Mom gives a warming smile in my direction. "My baby is turning nineteen."

"Aw, my baby is growing up so fast." Jared teases as he leans in a pinched my cheek playfully. "She'll be dating soon."

I smack his hand playfully away and giggle. "Yeah. Nineteen. Such a big deal -"

"It is. One year away from twenty." Uncle Glenn interrupts. "Do Maggie and I have a surprise for you." He gives a playful wink and I can't help but imagine what Glenn has up his sleeve as the 'perfect gift.'

Jared smiles at me in a loving way and I feel my face slowly start to flush.

I'd lie if I said I didn't have a crush on Jared. He was my best friend and all, but he was also the best person in my world, aside from my mother. We had met in kindergarten here when some kids started to mess with me and kept pulling my hair. He beat up the bullies and got suspended for two days, and after that I felt like I owed him in some way. He was the best looking guy in school and he was always bombarded with populars. His blue eyes would stare into your soul and see straight passed you too. He towered over me too, in height and he was sort of scary. Everyday, after school, we'd go hunting. I went by myself though today. Sometime you just need to be alone, you know?

"How about dessert?" Uncle Glenn smirks after we finish the main course. Mom smiles and goes to get something from the kitchen. She soon comes back with a chocolate cake with white icing. There were small writing on it saying Happy Birthday. Three candles line the center of the cake and wax slowly drips from them. They give the room a warm glow and there's a sweet feeling in the air, one I never experience much.

I smile gratefully and I slowly feel Jared's fingers entwined with mine from under the table.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Mom grins. Glenn and Maggie stand up, and Glenn wraps an arm around Maggie's waist.

"Make a wish." Jared whispers into my hair as we stand slowly. I ponder over the thought and then something clicks. I slowly lean over the table and I let out my biggest exhales. I hear clapping and I watch as the smoke rises slowly, soon disappearing into the air. Pieces of cake are passed out and Jared and I are sitting on the back porch of my house. We sit across from each other and he fiddles with his knife nervously.

"So, Miss Dixon, did you enjoy the birthday cake?" He teases.

"Yeah." I grin. Yet, I feel my smile fade to a frown. "You know, I don't think my wish will come true."

"Com'on, Dixie." Jared sighs. "Wouldn't kill you to have some faith every once in a while."

I direct my eyes to the wood that made up the porch, not wanting to look at him. I stand up slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow, kay?"

We share a long gaze, but he finally exhales loudly and he stands. "Alright." He gives in. "See you tomorrow." He leaves in silence and I walk back into my house.

Aunt Maggie and Uncle Glenn can't be heard as I slowly walk up the stairs and fall into bed.

"FAITH!" Mom's voice wakes me up and I can hear her footsteps running down the hall. My door bangs open and my rushes in, bags and knife in hand. "Get your shit!"

I jump out of bed and I'm soon running around my room, scrambling to get whatever we would need.

"There's fire everywhere! Walkers have taken over the zone!" Mom is yanking every kind of medicine out of the cabinets and is frantically rushing around the room, just as much as I was. She stops me in the middle of the room, tears are streaming down both of our faces. "Listen to me." Her voice is commanding. "I want you to run to the woods and don't stop for anything. Once you're there, keep running, when you're far enough from the zone I want you to hide. _I will find you_. I'll be there as soon as I can and then we can find the others -"

"What if you're not?!"

"Faith, we all have jobs to do. Okay? I want you to run. I'm not gonna leave you. I will find you." Mom's eyes are filled with tears and then she jets out the door. I see walkers start to climb up the stairs and I see my mother start to stab them. I hesitate to run, but I quickly grab my bow and arrows and climb out my bedroom window, and onto the window. I shut the window quickly just as walkers' hands hit the window. I swallow slowly as I see blood being smeared on the once clear glass.

My eyes watch as I see my home burning piece by piece. I hear frantic screams and I see walkers stumbling around the grounds. Fires light the night sky and the heat is massive. Smoke blends into the night sky as well, but I barely have time to look when I hear the front door shut from below me. I watch as my mother runs out of the house, unharmed. She doesn't see me, and I'm tempted to run to her, but I force myself to stay calm. She needed to get out just as much as I did, and she didn't need me to be behind her the whole time. I quickly walk and drop down onto the front yard. My leg aches and I feel a sharp pain in my head. I slowly try to stand up, but my vision is fuzzy at first. I stumble and try to regain my footing.

My eyes spot the gates and my legs start to move that way. I see walkers from all directions and next thing I know I'm dodging them and I watch people getting bit. Pretty soon, I'm sprinting towards the gates, my lungs on fire and my bow by my side.

I soon feel the earth under my feet and I see black dots blur my vision. I stop and look back, turning to see my home, and I feel tears fall down my face. Everything was burning to ashes, and if I didn't get away more I would become apart of those black remains.

I start to run again and I can't think of the last time I had ever had to run this far. My hands push back bushes and branches as I sprint away. I feel cuts and stings coming from the cuts and finally, I collapse in a field. I stare up at the night sky and I see black birds, very faintly, hovering over me. My chest heaves up and down and finally I let my eyes fall and let the darkness capture me.

**Hi everyone. So, this is a new fanfiction and I really hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry it's really short as well and I hope it made sence. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'd love to hear a review. Thanks :)**


	2. Arrows Are Bad

"_Momma." The tiny voice of a eight year old Faith Dixon says from across the dinner table. _

"_Yes, sweetheart?" Beth smiles at her child._

_The littlest Dixon gives a shy glance. "Um . . . Well . . . What did Daddy look like?"_

_Beth's eyes grow wide, but she remains calm. She should have expected her daughter's curiosity would get the best of her daughter one of these days. "Um . . . Well . . . Daddy was . . ." How does one describe Daryl Dixon? Beth ponders over the thought before answering. "Well, he was tall and handsome." Beth begins._

"_Is that all, Momma?"_

"_No," Beth laughs. "And . . . He was always protecting you and me, even before you were born. He . . ." Beth feels a lump forming in her throat as an image of Daryl washes into her mind. She places a hand to her forehead as an attempt to hold it together, but she was failing quite miserably. Faith's teal eyes grow dark and her lips form a frown. "D - Daddy . . . Daddy was . . ." Beth let's out a small sob. _

_Faith hops down from her own chair and crawls into Beth's lap. She wraps her arms around her mother's neck. "I love you, Momma." She whispers. "Daddy loves you too."_

_Beth sniffs and wipes her eyes. "When did you become so clever?"_

_Faith shrugs her shoulders. "I dunno." Faith smiles a little. "But Daddy loves us. Just like you always say." Beth giggles at the child and kisses her head._

"_No doubt in my mind." She whispers._

"Faith?" A familiar voice wakes me up and my eyes slowly open to see my mom's blue eyes staring down at me.

"Mom." I say, sitting up right away. Black suit covers my mom's face, as well as blood. We pull away from each other's embrace and I look at her. "Where is everyone?" I ask referring to Aunt Maggie and Uncle Glenn and the rest of our family. I watch as my mom swallows slowly.

"I - I don't know." Her answer is soft and I stare at her in disbelief. We had just seen them . . . Where the hell were they?

"Okay." I whisper. She helps me stand and we start to walk through the thick forest. "We can't be the only survivors." I say, breaking the silence as we walk. Mom turns and looks at me slowly right before moving on without another word. I continue to follow in her footsteps and we walk in silence, looking.

"Do you think Uncle Rick and Judith and -"

"Sh!" My mother shushes me all of a sudden and I swallow my words. Mom holds up a hand and I watch as she slowly reaches for her knife. I slowly grab an arrow from behind me and place it in my bow. I could hear footsteps slowly approaching. I hold my breath and we wait. I spot a rabbit hopping into our view. A grin comes to my face and I let the arrow fly.

My mom turns around and looks at me. "Good shot." She smiles as she picks up the dead animal with the arrow halfway through its eye.

"Always am." I grin confidently. Mom places the animal into her bag. "We need to keep moving." She says, her eyes looking onward. She pauses and turns back to look at me. "I know a place where we can stay."

I follow her through the brush and thick leaves, stomping my way to try and catch up to her, as the day slowly starts to get hotter. We push past through a treeline and an old dirty shack comes into view.

"We're here." She says. We walk through the dirty yard and make our way to the front door. "Your dad told me about this place, he and Michonne found it right before we headed out for the Alexandria Safe Zone . . . Right before . . ." She trails off and I frown. We stare at each other, on the front steps of the house, and I step in front of Mom and kicked open the door. I whistle and band my hand against the old door frame and I wait, listening.

"It's clear, Mom." I don't hear her move, and that frightens me. I jerk my body around and see her looking at the ground, tears falling. "Mom . . ."

"It's fine . . . I'm fine . . ." She assures me. I remembered, when I was younger. I'd sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and she'd be crying like this. She said it was always nightmares or something, but I knew the real reason. One day, I found a letter in her draw, addressed to my dad. It didn't say his name, or what he looked like, or anything, the letter was just full of love and passion. She wrote about how much she loved him and how much she wished he was here, and how she still had hope that he was out there. This place, it reminded her of him, just like all those nights.

I know I looked some what like my father. Now, I think that when she looks at me she sees him, and that hurts. Every night, when she cried, it was because she looked at me or something that reminded her of my dad, and she couldn't get him off her mind, just like now.

"Mom, we don't have to stay here . . ." I say, trying to make the atmosphere less tense.

"I'm fine." Her voice is soft now, and she walks passed me. "I'm going to board up the place. Why don't you go find some firewood?"

I nod and head out into the woods and feel right at home. I didn't like having to look for a bunch of stupid sticks, but I knew my mother needed space. "And we'll buy . . . A beer to shotgun . . ." I sing softly under my breath as I bend down to pick up a batch of sticks. My singing stops when I hear a stumbling sound. I don't take notice, even though I should, because another object catches my attention. A black bandana. I pick up the cloth and run my fingers over it. It smelt like leather and cigarettes. I tie it around my wrist, as if it was some kind of bracelet.

The sound finally sticks in my head. Walker. I jump to my feet and place a arrow in my bow. I start to run towards a creek when I see five of them stumbling towards me. I slide into the dirt when another batch of walkers comes from my right. I groan as I feel a burn and bruise forming quite quickly. I scramble to my feet and start to run towards the creek again.

Walkers are hot on my trail and a come to a hill that leads down to a creek, but I slip when I try to run down the hill and I end up tumbling. I groan as I feel sticks and rocks hit my body, only adding to more bruises. I land in water and groan as a sharp pain runs through my stomach.

Pretty soon, I see red water surrounding me. My eyes widen as I slowly look down and I see an arrow in my stomach. I slowly swallow and I glance up. The walkers are gone now, and now, I was screwed. Mom wasn't going to be happy. I lost the sticks and I stabbed myself with an arrow! Who does that?!

I swallow again as I bite down the pain. My legs feel like jello as I stand and I stumble through the water. My body feels lighter as I go in deeper, trying to reach the other side of the creek, and I feel myself losing more blood. I crawl onto the dirt on the other side of the creek and I flop on my back.

By the time I'm able to make it back towards the cabin, Mom is furious. "Where the hell have you been - OH MY GOD! What the hell happened to you?!" Her tear filled blue eyes look down towards the arrow in my torso.

"Mom -"

She shushes me by rushing me inside. She quickly makes me lay down on a bed of blankets. "Lay there, I'm gonna get that thing out of ya. Lay still, this is gonna hurt, honey." I watch as she pulls out a needle and thread, as well as towels.

"M - Mom -"

"Do not go crying on me, Faith. Dixons are strong. You'll be fine. Now, let me help you." Tears fall from my eyes as we share one last glance.

I wake up, the moon light through the boarded up windows. The pain in my torso is unbearable, but it's better than the arrow still being stuck in my flesh. A sharp pain makes its presence known in my head as I sit up. I see my mom sleeping by me, along with a half broken bloody arrow.

She slowly sits up, obviously tired, and gives me a small smile. "Hey, kiddo."

"Mom," I whisper. "I'm sorry about getting stabbed with an arrow and losing the fire wood. I should have been more careful."

"Faith," Mom pushes a piece of her golden locks behind her hair. "I'm not mad. The point is, you're alive. You're here and you're alive. That's all that matters. I can't lose you." She frowns and then gives a soft smile. "You're dad had this happened to him."

The remark catches me by surprise. "Really?"

She nods. "It was right before we were run off the farm. Your father had gone out looking for a little girl who had gone missing. Um . . ." She pauses with her story. "We . . . Had a secret romance on the farm. He was the redneck and I was the farmer's daughter. We snuck around every once and a while and one day, after looking for the girl, he got in an accident and ended up with an arrow in him. We had to stitch him back up." She looks down at the floor as I listen intensly. "After that, walkers took over the farm. We headed towards the safe zone, and my daddy died along the way. Your father helped me through that, even if he didn't know it, and he blamed himself for most of it, thinking it was his fault. Then he saved us from the walker herd and I never saw him again. I found out that I was pregnant with you and the rest is history."

I look at her and frown. "Yeah . . . It really is."

A sound shakes us both to the core. She stands up with her gun and knife. "Stay." She orders. She heads out into the darkness and I wait, hesitating and heart beating out of my chest. I hear my mother scream and I jump to my feet, despite my pain.

"MOM!" I shout. I run out to the road just by the shack and I see no sign of my mother, only her bag spread out on the leave covered gravel. I look and see a black car with a white cross on it. "MOM! MOM?!" I shout as I run after the car.

I can't lose her. I can't! She would never leave me - No! She was taken, and I would be damned if I let her get taken.

"MOM!" I attempt to shot again. "MOM!" I feel tears fall down my face as my lungs start to catch on fire. They burned worse with bandages around my torso and it was like fire ants were biting and eating at my insides. I watch as the black car speeds up and leaves me in the dust, alone.

I drop to my knees in the early morning, out of breath and completely devastated. Mom can't be gone. She can't be. She's always been there for me and now she's gone. My mother was alone and gone and I was here.

A pair of boots comes into my sight of vision as I let my tears hit the leaves on the ground. My head slowly looks up and a man with a crossbow is standing in front of me.

"You alright, girl?" His voice is rough and sends chills down my spine. I don't hesitate, I stand up as fast as I can and grab my bow and aim it at him. He looks at me and then looks at my arrows. "Girl, don't be stupid." He warns. "You don't gotta enough arrows to last you five minutes."

I look up at him, not lowering my weapon. He was so much taller than me. I was my mother's height and right now it wasn't helping at all.

The man sighs. "Girl, I ain't gonna hurt you. Put the weapon down . . . What's your name?"

I don't let my gaze rest, but I lower my weapon. "Faith."

"Daryl." He says and we continue to stare at each other. There was something about this guy that seemed familiar, and I had a feeling I was going to figure out why soon.

**Hi everyone. Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you enjoyed and I'm so sorry if this isn't interesting. :( I really do try my hardest on these kinds of stories that deals with a lot of emotion and everything, so I hope I'm doing good so far. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! **

**Thanks! :)**


	3. The Signs Are All There

"_So," Nine year of Faith grins as she colors in a coloring book at the coffee table. "What are we gonna say when we find Daddy?"_

_Beth, who was sitting on the couch reading, looks at the bright eyed child. "What, sweetpea?"_

"_When we meet Daddy and he finds us, can we tell him about how you taught me how to hunt? Can we tell him how much we missed him and how much we love him?"_

_Beth looks at the brunette. "Of course sweetie."_

"_How do we know which persons Daddy though?" Faith looks up from her picture and looks at her mother in confusion._

_Beth clears her throat. "Well . . . The signs will all be there. You just gotta know how to read them. Your daddy will know too . . . He just probably won't show it much. We'll find him, baby girl. Don't worry." Beth puts on a brave smile, to which her daughter smiles in the same manner. Faith quietly turns back to coloring the picture of a family, the thought soon forgotten._

"So, you were alone?" I question as we walk along the leave covered Georgia road.

He turns slightly and nods. The humid air surrounded us while the blazing sun sent it's raze down upon us. "Yeah . . . Until a few days ago."

"What do you mean?"

"Was with a group a while back, after I got seperated from my other group." He explains as we head into a town.

"Wait - Other group?" I ask, stopping in my tracks. He turns, confused as to why I stopped.

"Yeah, why?" His crossbow looks so light in his arms and he throws it over his shoulder with ease.

"Well . . ." I hesitate to ask. I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. "Where are they now?"

He seems hurt by the question and I regret asking him about it. He turns to face the abandoned down again and looks at the street's gravel. "They're just gone." He doesn't say anything, but continues forward.

No walkers were anywhere and the town seemed completely swept clean. We stop when we hear a noise coming in from a grocery store. I slowly pull an arrow from behind me while he pulls a bolt. We load our weapons and we slowly walk up to the glass doors. Daryl bangs his fist on the glass. We stand there and wait.

"Give it a minute." He instructs. "What about you . . ."

My eyebrow arches in surprise. "What?"

"Why were you out on the road . . . Boyfriend leave you?" He jokes. Jared immediately comes to my mind and I feel my face heat up at the thought of him.

I giggle nevertheless. "No . . ." I look at the ground. "I lost my mom." He looks at the ground in silence. "We were run off of home when walkers attacked. We ended up in this house . . . Mom went to check a sound outside and . . . She ended up getting taken by a car with a white cross on it . . . And I tried to follow it . . . I tried." Tears come to my eyes as I remember yesterday's events.

"She's alive?"

"She's alive."

"What was her name?"

We stare at each other a second. "Her name was -"

A walker bangs against the glass door. "Alright, lets do it." Daryl says. He opens the door quickly and the walker quickly takes a bolt to the head. We head into the store and wait to see if there are any walkers. None so far, that was good.

"You know," Daryl says. "I can help you track your mom . . . If you want."

"Really?" I'm shocked by his offer, but I would gladly take the help.

He nods. "I know what it's like to lose something you love." I nod in thanks.

We both took separate isles and my eyes skimmed the almost empty shelves. One thing that caught my eye was a record aisle. Mom always played records around the house. My favorite record was What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts. She said it reminded her of my dad. I wonder what my dad would have thought of the song.

My eyes light up at the sight of the exact record. A bright smile comes to my face and I slowly bite my lip. I turn and look around for any sign of Daryl, but I don't see him anywhere near me. _A little music wouldn't hurt . . . There's no walkers, so it's okay. _I think. I slowly find an old record player that rested on a shelf and I started to play the record. I smile at my small achievement and I feel myself starting to sway to the music. I started to sing along to the lyrics as I searched the shelves for any supplies. The record slowly dies down and I jerk around to see Daryl standing by the record player, and that he had completely stopped the record.

He had this saddened look in his eyes and I suddenly felt sympathy. "Why'd you stop the -"

"Do you know how many walkers you could have just attracted?!" His voice is filled with a little anger and mostly worry.

"I -"

"Come on. Grab whatever you can." He turned, anger in his eyes. My eyes widened as I watch him smash the record. It shatters like glass and I watch him stomp off and out of the place. I quickly follow, my anger now building with each step I take.

"What the hell?!" I shout once we're outside. "If you didn't like the damn song you should have said something', not going around breaking shit! Jesus! What the hell's wrong with you?!" I spit. I push past him and start to head for other buildings, looking to see if there was anything in them, and trying to get my mind off of Daryl. He just stood there and watched as I went from building to building. "Jerk . . ." I mutter under my breath as I try to pick the lock on a pharmacy.

"You're not going to get the lock like that." I hear Daryl say quietly behind me.

"Yeah, well, I really don't want to hear your opinions right now." I say, my fingers still working on the stupid peice of metal.

"It's getting towards noon." He tells me. I give up on the lock and turn back to him.

"So?"

"So," He looks to his left. I look to my right and I see a clock on a church was pointed to 11:57 pm. "Lunch, kid."

"I'm not a kid." I argue. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah. But, we both need our energy. You looked like you ran all night for your mom. We need to eat." Daryl explains. I sigh and follow as we head out of the abandoned town. The smell of the woods surrounds us as Daryl and I start to hunt.

"Deer . . . Maybe snake." I say as I start to call out possible lunch items to chow down on. "Maybe squirrel . . . Or pigs feet."

"Pigs feet?" He asks, slightly turning to me.

I nod. "I used to eat it all the time as a kid. Mom would always make it for me . . . When I would get upset that my dad wasn't there. She said he used to eat it all the time too."

"Can't blame the man." Daryl says as his eyes scan the forest floor. "Stuff's good . . . What happened to your dad?"

I swallow slowly as my eyes scan the floor along with him. "Well -"

I'm interrupted by the sound of Daryl's bolt flying through the air and into a snake. I watch, a little sickened, as he cuts off the head. I had had snake before, and I loved it, but I had never watched anyone skin and actually cook it. Daryl and I make a small camp.

I want to laugh at Daryl. He was eating the snake as if it was the last animal on earth. I ate slowly, carefully picking out the bones of the snake, and conceal my laughter.

"What's so funny?" Daryl slowly looks at me and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Nothing." I smile. It slowly fades as I see him look down at the snake.

"I had a group . . ." He starts.

"Huh?" My eyebrows raise.

"I had a group . . . They were a bunch of assholes . . . Had a rule. It was stupid." He explains. "I only got the chance to get away from them."

"They wouldn't let you leave?"

He shook his head. "Nope . . . I snuck away a few days ago. I went to track down the group I was with before them . . . That's where I was heading when I found you."

"Well, don't try the Alexandria Safe Zone." I sigh.

"Why?" His voice sounded concerned.

"Well . . . It got taken over by walkers. My mom and I were the only ones to -"

"Did you ever see a blonde girl there?" His voice was full of desperation and his eyes full of hope. I slowly lean away at his eagerness. "Did you see a blonde girl?"

"There were a lot of blonde girls there." I answer.

"Well, well, well!" A voice says behind us. "Look what we have here!" Daryl and I shoot up from our places as a group emerges from the trees. Daryl pushes me behind him in a protective manor.

"Stay back, Joe!" Daryl shouts. The older man with white sandy hair looks to me and then to Daryl.

"I'm claiming the girl!" A voice says behind me.

"No you ain't!" Daryl shouts. "She's no one's claim!"

Joe looks between me and Daryl and sighs. "Daryl, you know the rule -"

"It's bullshit!" He shouts, interrupting Joe.

"Daryl," Joe takes a step forward. "You left, and now we found you. No one leaves our group, especially since you've been with us for nearly a good twenty years. You owe us. If we hadn't found you -"

"I would have been better off." Daryl growls. "Faith and I ain't stayin. I left for a reason. Now, move."

"No can do, partner."

Daryl grabs my wrist and starts to lead me away from the group. Joe steps in front of us. "Step aside!" Daryl growls.

"You owe us, Daryl. If you don't live up to that, we're gonna have to teach you and we'll take the girl anyway. I suggest you stay."

Daryl hesitates and sighs. "No one touches her. Got it? She's a kid. She doesn't need to deal with you."

"Understood." Joe says.

I try to process what just happened, but before I do we're all heading off on a leave covered road again. Daryl has me stay close to him. I feel uncomfortable when I see the men licking their lips at me and grinning wickedly.

"If any of them come near you or try to hurt you yell for me. I ain't gonna let them hurt you." He whispers to me.

"Why do you care so much?" My curiosity gets the best of me once again. He looks at me slowly and just shakes his head.

"You remind me of someone . . ." His answer is barely audible.

"I can take care of myself." I say in the same pitch.

"Yeah . . ."

The day drags on slowly as we walk along railroad tracks. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, but in reality I just needed to think, think about something involving Daryl.

The way he is . . . He's exactly how my mother always described my dad and the time zones math up to my dad. If he was my dad . . . It would explain why he never came to look for Mom and I. He was forced to be in this group . . . He couldn't actually be my dad, could he?

"Well, you sure are a beauty." A voice says behind me. I turn and see Len standing there. Out of everyone in the group, he was the one to make me feel the most uncomfortable.

"L - Leave me alone." I step back and try to put as much distance between me and him. "Don't make me -"

"Hey!" Daryl steps into the scene. "Stay away from her!"

"Com'on Dixon! You're just like you were when you lost that piece of tail -"

"Shut up!" Daryl shouts. My eyes widen as I hear Len shout my last name.

"Dixon get it through your head!" Len shouts. "She is the finest piece of ass I've seen in a while, and dammit I'm gonna get me some -"

Daryl charges at Len and tackles him to the ground. I stand in horror and watch as Daryl pounds on the guy's face. I watch as blood splatters everywhere and over Daryl's face. I hear a bloody scream as I see Daryl take out a knife and start to gut the man.

"D - Daryl!" I shout to try and intervene. "Daryl!" I shout. I still hear those screams. "DAD!" I shout even louder. Daryl stops what he's doing and slowly gets off the guy. I see Len's dead body laying there, completely unrecognizable. Daryl's panting and he stares at me.

"What did you say?" He questions.

"D - Dad . . ." I whisper, tears falling down my face. He stares at me a second. "I know you were drove away from Mom and I . . . I know you probably didn't even know about me . . .Mom - Beth, told me a lot about you . . . And I know you know I'm your daughter. I'm not stupid."

He looks at me. "How do you know, kid?"

"The signs are all there. You just gotta learn how to read them." I answer. I watch as his lip trembles a bit and he pulls me in for a tight hug. I let a couple of tears fall, but our little reunion is broken up when Joe and his group walk up to us.

"So, this hell fire is your kid, huh Dixon?" Joe says. "Now, I suppose Len there tried to do something . . . No questions asked, just wanting to know. I assume you were in the right terms." My dad and I both stare at the men. "Now, we have a little problem. A man had killed one of our friends while you decided to go off on your own and we're tracking him down. I hope that won't be a problem."

I look towards my father and then to Joe. "No . . ."

"Good." Joe turns. "Lets get a move on boys."

With that, we head off on the tracks, but I feel something. I feel like a piece of me that was missing for eighteen years was finally back. However, another part of me was gone with my mother, and now it was going to be my dad and I's job to escape this people and find her. We were going to find her. We were.

**Hello. :) Well, I'm not really sure if I really did a good job on this chapter and I feel like it was rushed, and for that I apologize. Anyway, I will try to update sooner. I hope you enjoyed. **

**Thanks,**

**hml1999 :)**


	4. Family Reunion

_Faith and Jared sat in the meadow near the Alexandria Safe Zone. In the meadow, grass surrounded them and they had a perfect view of an outline of a city once named Atlanta._

"_Do you think you'll ever have kids?" Faith asks randomly. _

_Jared's taken off by the strange question of his best friend. "Yeah . . . Maybe some day." He leans back on his knees and Faith gives a small laugh._

_She leans her head up to the hot Georgia sun and closes her eyes in bliss. "Jared," She laughs. "What are we doing out here?" _

"_Who knows, Dixon." Jared smiles. "I don't know anything but that I am never going to leave you."_

_Faith was confused by the strange turn of subject, but just went with it. "And how do you know that you'll never leave me?" She looks at her friend and sees him grinning. "What?" She asks as his smile fades slowly. He stares at her again and slowly leans in close to her ear._

"_Oh." Faith whispers once he pulls away. She feels her cheeks heat up and starts to laugh. She playfully pushes him away. "You suck, you know that?" She stands up and laughs as he willingly flops into the grass. He sits up and stands to his feet._

"_Don't push me!" He laughs as Faith starts to run away, laughing and prancing through the meadow. Jared follows suit and laughs along with her. Faith's braid bounces off of her shoulder and he is completely captivated by her when she turns and the sunlight completely swallows her. He shakes his head slowly and he finds his arms locked around her waist and then suddenly falling._

"_Jared." Faith laughs as he lands partially on her. Flowers get in both of their hair, but he didn't care if it didn't look 'manly.' He just looks down at her and buries his face into the crook of her neck, kissing it softly._

"They're alive," Jared says. "They gotta be."

"We'll find them." Rick says as Carl walks by him. "Don't worry."

Jared swallows thickly as Judith walked beside him. "You know," Judith says. "What are you gonna do if we don't find Faith and Beth?"

Jared's eyes look at her coldly. He was half tempted to stop their walk along the railroad tracks, but decided against it. He knew Judith's question was innocent, but he felt like there was something more to it. He knew Judith and Faith weren't close, and he didn't know why, but ever since they had left the zone a few days back, Judith was getting a little too close to him.

She was incredibly beautiful, there was no denying that, and she could take care of herself. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back and her eyes could captivate anyone, but he just didn't like her that way.

"I don't know. I can't live without her though, that's for sure." Jared answers. "I gotta find her . . . She's alive."

Jared would be lying if he said he didn't have a crush on Faith. He always had. Now that she was gone, finding her was his only objective. Lord only know who she could be with besides her mom.

"If I didn't know better," Michonne said butting into the conversation with a grin. "I'd say you have a crush on her."

Jared feels his ears get read. Judith looks down slowly and then to her mother. "What?"

"I saw how you were with her back at the zone. Last time I saw a guy look at a woman like that was with Faith's parents." Michonne comments. Judith quickly hurries and catches up with Carl and Rick, rather rudely.

"What . . ." Jared pauses before moving on with his question. "What were Faith's parents like?"

"They were unexpected, I'll say." Michonne says. "He was the redneck and Faith's mother was the farmer's daughter. No one saw it coming, but after a while it was alright. They loved each other. That was enough."

"What was her dad like? Miss Beth is really sweet but . . . I've heard things about Dixons. About their past." Jared almost felt ashamed. Faith was a Dixon, and she was probably the most beautiful woman on the planet.

"Don't believe them." Michonne says flatly. "Daryl Dixon was a good man, no matter what anyone else says . . . He was Rick's best friend. Good man . . . Faith sometimes reminds me of him."

"How?"

"Her eyes and her crooked little smile. She used to smile a lot when she was first born . . . But it just stopped all of a sudden."

Jared looks puzzled by that thought. "Really? I never noticed -"

"We should probably head into the woods soon." Rick hollers back to the pair. "Go looking for food."

They take after his lead and after walking a few miles, they end up in the woods once more, surrounded by a can of beans. Jared had to admit, beans were not his favorite thing in the world to eat, but it was what was there. He didn't feel like hunting for anything, was darn right to hungry and tired to, so he stayed with the group as they surrounded their 'lunch.'

"How hungry are you on a scale from 1 to 10?" Rick asks.

"Fifeteen." Carl answers.

Rick looks to Michonne. "Twenty eight."

They group had set up a small camp and Rick had set up snares. Rick slowly stands up and looks at the group. "We're going to go check the snares." Carl and Michonne follow him and make their way towards the traps.

"Are you okay?" Judith speaks up in the awkward silence.

Jared nods. "Just . . . Thinkin."

"You know . . . I was jealous of your friendship with Faith for a long time." Judith's voice is soft and quiet. "I know I shouldn't be, she was my best friend, but now . . . She's gone and we're here, together. Faith isn't here anymore, Jared."

"You don't know that. Stop talking like -"

"You really got to have it spelled out for you don't you? Faith is _dead_. I hate to say it. She was my friend too, but there's no way she could've made it out alive, Jared. Hell, we barely even made it!"

"Shut up!" Jared shouted. The two stare at each other, fire in their eyes, and then they hear screams of agony coming from the distance. Jared grabs his knife and gun and runs towards the sound, Judith following behind. They come to see Rick, Michonne, and Carl standing behind a tree, watching a man get eaten by walkers.

"We need to leave, now!" Michonne orders. They all quickly make their way to the railroad tracks once again, stomachs empty and full of fear.

Once they're finally away, Michonne says, "We gotta find food somewhere." Out in front of them, a blue car comes into view. It looks abandoned and almost completely empty.

A walker is near, but is silenced by the slice of Michonne's katana. The three youngest start a journey through the car to find anything, praying for something useful.

Rick and Michonne sit on the ground, a small fire going. Carl is sleeping in the front passengers seat of the car, while Judith sleeps beside her father. Jared sits staring into the fire by Michonne.

"I forgot what this feels like." Rick comments into the chilly night.

"I'm hoping to be forgetting soon." Michonne answers back.

"Those people at Terminus . . . They have to be strong." Jared says. A sound from in the woods startles the group, but they slowly turn back to their conversation.

"Oh deary me." A man with a gun says. "You screwed up asshole."

He holds the gun to Rick's head and Jared slowly stands up, putting a hand on his gun. Judith starts awake when she hears the man's voice and other footsteps. Men with bows and gun start to come out from every direction of the woods. Jared can't make out any of the mens' features because of the lack of light, but he knew they were trouble.

A man holds a gun to Michonne's head while another holds one to Jared's. Judith shuts

her eyes tight and swallows when she hears a run being loaded and slowly pointed at her skull.

"Today's the day or reckoning, sir." The man behind Rick says. Rick has they crazy look in his eye, and Jared knows that that isn't a good thing. "Restitution." Behind Jared, he hears someone bang their fists slowly on the glass of the car.

"Shit!" The man says happily. "And I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Years Eve." He gives a hearty laugh and looks at the group. "Who's gonna count down the ball dropped with me?"

Jared feels anger rise in him as he's forced to watch his friend die like this. When he had the chance, he'd make his move.

"Ten mississippi. Nine mississippi. Eight missis -"

"Joe!" A new voice says from out of the trees. Joe and the other turn and look. Jared evan looks to see a man step out from behind the car. Rick looks pale, as if he's seen a ghost. Who was this guy, and why wasn't he liked the others? The only thing Jared could make out about him was that he was carrying a crossbow.

Jared watches as the new man steps in the center of the chaos about to unfold. "Hold up -"

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl!" Joe says all but happy.

"Just . . . Hold up." Daryl pleads.

Another pair of footsteps emerge and Jared wants to rip the gun held at his head away and run to the next person. Faith walks behind the man, unafraid and fierce like Jared remembered her. "These are good people." She buts in.

"This is the guy that killed Lou! There's nothing to talk about -"

"Shut up!" Faith spits. Daryl shoots his head to her in a warning. Faith's eyes scan the faces and her lip trembles as she looks at her family.

"Well . . .We got nothing but time. Let the two say their peace." Joe sighs, the gun still at Rick's head and everyone still on edge with guns.

"You want blood . . . Take it from me man." Daryl drops his bow and lets it thunk on the ground.

"D - Daryl . . ." Faith is silenced when Daryl slowly raises his hands.

"These people are good people." Daryl continues. "Let them go."

"This man killed our friend. You say he's good and - And that right there is a lie!" Joe growls. Faith and Daryl don't even have time to think before Daryl is tackled to the ground and another tackles Faith.

"NO!" Jared shouts. He turns to look behind at the man who pointed his gun to him and stabs him in the head quickly.

Daryl feels a kick to the ribs and bruises were sure to form. Faith feels the weight of the man who tackled her on her. "Faith!" Daryl shouts as he gets another blow to the face right beside her.

"D -" The girl is silenced by another punch.

"You leave them be!" Rick shouts. "IT WAS JUST ME!"

Faith is punched in the face and cries out in pain as the man he tackled her tries to undo his belt. "Get off of her!" Faith hears Jared shout. Jared goes to tackle the man on Faith and yanks the man off of her. Blood from the man splatters and lands on FAith as she watches her friend beat on the man.

Daryl, who is still taking a beating, heard Carl crying in agony as something was going down with another man. Judith, who now didn't have a gun to her head due to the man running after Faith, grabs her gun and quickly shoots the man, who was beating on Daryl, in the head. The man falls off of him and Daryl pushes the dead being to the side, before standing up quickly.

Daryl runs to Faith just as Jared does. Daryl holds a protective hand out to Faith, warning her to stay back, as Joe and Rick face off now. "What are you gonna do now sport?" Joe taunts.

Faith, Judith, and Jared all stand behind Daryl as Rick sinks his teeth into Joe's throat and rips out his throat. They stand there stunned. Michonne doesn't hesitate, but grabs the gun on the man behind her and uses it against him. His brain matter splatters onto the forest floor.

The last man from Joe's group standing is near Carl. He backs up as Rick passes Michonne and the rest of the group. Michonne pulls Carl away as Rick can be heard slicing into the man, the group looking on horrified.

The sun is now rising and the group are still frozen in their places. Rick turns back to look at the group, face covered in blood.

"Daryl?" He asks, looking at the familiar face. "H - How?"

"That's not important right now." Daryl says. He looks towards Carl and Michonne and nods his respects that the boy was safe. He turns to see Judith. "Asskicker?"

"Huh?" Judith looks at her father confused. Her father just gives a slowly smile and shakes his head. Daryl's eyes shift to Rick's daughter, to his own, and he's shocked at what he sees.

Jared and Faith are looking at each other, like their each both glass statues, just about to break. Faith has tears in her eyes and she slowly reaches up and touches Jared's face. Jared cups her cheek and lets a smile spread across her face. "Hey there, Dixon."

Faith can't resist smiling and she slowly leans up and presses a kiss to his lips. "Don't ever leave me again." She whispers. He laughs, and then hugs her so tightly to him that he lifts her off of the ground. "Don't." She says as she lets a cry out as she buries her face into the crook of his neck.

"I won't." Jared answers.

Daryl turns to look at Rick. "D - Do you know?" Rick asks.

Daryl gives a small smirk and turns back to looking at the new couple. "Yeah, I know. She's a Dixon after all. Think I wouldn't recognize my own daughter?"

As soon as Jared heard those words he pulls away from Faith, tence and completely red. "Uh . . ."

Faith lets out a laugh. "Jared . . . This is my dad, Daryl Dixon."

Jared looks towards Daryl. "Sir . . ."

Daryl was confused by that. He never thought he'd be called sir. "Kid." He answers back. He looks towards Faith. "You Faith's boyfriend or something?"

"Uh -"

"Dad." Faith links her arm with Jared's. Daryl sighs and turns back to the group.

"Where's Beth?" Carl asks.

Faith swallows. "She's just gone."

**Hi everyone. Okay, so I'd like to apologize for everything being rushed and my very bad writing. I can't write very good and I'm sorry. Anyway, I am very nervous about tomorrow's episode, and although I'm Team Deloutional, I still don't want to get my hopes up for Beth not being alive. Is that wrong? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks! :)**


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